"Home Alone Children" Tips

Teach Your "Home Alone" Children

• To check in with you or a neighbor immediately after arriving home.
• How to call 9-1-1, or your area's emergency number, or call the operator.
• How to give directions to your home, in case of emergency.
• To never accept gifts or rides from people they don't know well.
• How to use the door and window locks, and the alarm system if you have one.
• To never let anyone into your home without asking your permission.
• To never let a caller at the door or on the phone know that they're alone. Teach them to say "Mom can't come to the phone (or door) right now."
• To carry a house key with them in a safe place (inside a shirt pocket or sock). Don't leave it under a mat or on a ledge outside the house.
• How to escape in case of fire.
• Not to go into an empty house or apartment if things don't look right - a broken window, ripped screen, or opened door.

For more information about crime prevention call the Rockville City Police Department Community Services Officer 240-314-8922.